Bird on a Camera
by Jerry Guarino
I saw the most amazing
thing last week. You know those traffic cameras
that are going up everywhere. Well, a seagull was
perched on one, taking a break between the sea
and searching for food. His head bobbed as birds
do, glancing this way and that. He obviously wasn't
familiar with this new technology designed to
raise money for local towns.
Nearby, a bank was being robbed. The thieves got
into their 1977 Chevy Nova (properly updated, of
course) and hauled out onto the road. Well, the
light turned red, and the thieves went through
the light. When a traffic camera went off, a
bright flash accompanied it to make the picture
clear. However, the light flashed directly behind
the seagull (I mean directly, about six inches)
and gave it a heart attack. The camera also
inadvertently captured and identified the thieves
via AI recognition software and sent that
information to the police station and the
responding officers.
The bird fell onto the getaway car. The Nova
swerved and ran into another light post, setting
off three more cameras. The whole incident was
caught on tape, and the police arrived in time to
catch the thieves. Although it might seem absurd,
I just saw cops attaching bird decoys to the
front of their cameras. Does this bother anyone
else?
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